Saïdou Dicko's Tracing Shadows Exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery Explores Light and Identity

Saïdou Dicko, a self-taught multimedia artist born in Burkina Faso in 1979, currently presents his exhibition Tracing Shadows at The Photographers’ Gallery Print Sales Gallery in London until 7 September 2025. His artistic practice, which began with drawing shadows of sheep in the sand as a shepherd in Africa's Sahel region, evolved after discovering photography in 2005 into an investigation of light, absence, and visibility politics. Dicko's works feature silhouetted figures against vibrant patterned backgrounds, often painted over photographic prints, combining collage, painting, and lens-based media. The backdrops reference Burkinabè textiles with floral and leaf motifs, while subjects are primarily anonymous children adorned with traditional fabrics, beads, and jewelry, emphasizing play, imagination, and ancestral memory. A black and red cross motif appears overhead, recalling traditional rugs from his youth. Dicko cites the shadow as neutral, guiding his art and connecting to his childhood imagination. He joins contemporary image-makers like Atong Atem, Hassan Hajjaj, Silvia Rosi, Thandiwe Muriu, and Omar Victor Diop, who draw inspiration from African textile narratives, with parallels to Kara Walker's silhouette work. The exhibition highlights Dicko's blend of personal experience with cultural histories, positioning silhouetted figures as sites of imagination and quiet resistance.